Ischia is a volcanic island on the Gulf of Naples that is known for its thermal hot springs, lazy beaches, and ceramic shops.  It is made up of 8 charming towns all of which have something great to offer its visitors- 1. Ischia Porto   2. Ischia Ponte   3. Forio    4. Lacco Ameno   5. Casamicciola    6. Serrara Fontana   7. Barano    8. Sant’ Angelo.

We loved the authenticity Ischia provided. It has not yet turned into a major tourist destination, so the crowds were manageable and the locals were more than happy to have us and make us feel at home. It is an east 1 hour ferry ride from Naples port and definitely worth the trip if you are traveling through this part of Italy!

 

WHERE TO STAY:

When planning our trip, we had a hard time selecting which town we should stay in. We ended up choosing Ischia Ponte as it was easy to access from the port (where we arrived by ferry), close to the beach, and had plenty of restaurants and shops within the area. While we would recommend Ischia Ponte to those coming to visit the island, I would also encourage visitors to try and see as much of the entire island as they can during their stay as each town has something great to offer. Ischia Review is a very helpful resource if you are hoping to learn a bit about the towns to help you in making your decision. I have a link to their website provided below.

Ischia Review

We stayed at Hotel Ulisse. It was not our favorite hotel, though it was in a good location and our room had a balcony with a fantastic view of the Castle. I would definitely look for options within the surrounding area, or closer to the port!

 

WHAT TO DO AND SEE: 

1.  Visit Aragonese Castle

2.  Stroll the charming streets and visit the boutiques

3.  Enjoy a relaxing day on the beach (there are plenty of casual beach restaurants where you can rent some beach chairs and order some food/drinks!)

4.  Boat tour of the island –this is a must! (we booked West Coast tours through Ischia Review. For a very reasonable price, we had a boat all to ourselves for 8 hours with a fantastic skipper to show us some of the locals favorites spots and teach us some history of the island. While the skipper will recommend some areas to visit, they will also take you wherever you would like to go around the island and give you the opportunity to get off the boat and tour the towns. Request Gianluigi as your skipper if  possible-and bring aboard a bottle of wine if you wish!!)

 

WHERE TO EAT: 

1. Dani Maison

2. Dortas

3. Il Nido Del Falco- (this was one of our favorite meals during our trip to Italy and is an absolute must for anyone visiting Ischia. You can only reach the restaurant by boat, so this would be something we recommend you do for lunch during your boat tour. P.S. get the eggplant Parmigiano!)